Dark Side of the Heart
by Ashley the Great Sunflower
Summary: Nightmares plague the dreams of a certain Blake Belladonna, much to the concern of her teammates. Stubbornly refusing to accept help, Blake turns to willful insomnia as a way to escape the nightmares. But her solution goes awry when the line between reality and dreams begins to blur, and she is no longer sure what is real and what is a shadow dancing in front of her.
1. Insomnia

Blake couldn't sleep.

She heard the muffled muttering of Ruby Rose on the upper bunk across from her as she chattered on in her sleep. Below her were the abrasive snores of Yang Xiao Long, sprawled out onto her bed with all the grace of a brick.

On the lower bunk below Ruby lay the still form of Weiss Schnee, the only sound coming from her was a gentle breathing that Blake could only hear due to her enhanced hearing.

While the various noises from her teammates certainly contributed to her insomnia, something deeper was at work.

This was not an uncommon occurrence in Blake's life, insomnia. At least, recently anyway. Nightmares that she couldn't identify had begun to plague her sleep, and she had woken up screaming in a cold sweat multiple times, much to the concern of her partner and her friends.

They encouraged her to get help, but Blake was adamant that she could find a solution on her own. And she did, although it might not be the best of solutions.

She decided to not sleep. Over the past few days it was difficult, but it had transformed from an unwillingness to sleep to an inability. Even if she wanted to, Blake doubted she could fall asleep now.

And so she played memories through her head, in a waking dream where shadows danced in front of her eyes and recalled a memory. A memory from a few days past, before the insomnia had set in…

…

Team RWBY was having a day out in Vale today.

It was an unusual occurrence, but due to nearly a week and a half of hard studying and training for the year-end missions, the team had, almost, unanimously decided to take a break. Weiss's vote was not counted as the other three girls decided her reasons for _not_ wanting a break were stupid, pointless, and just plain crazy.

Weiss had woken up grumpy that morning, as per usual, and was getting on all their nerves as they trudged down the streets, trying to block out what was essentially incessant white noise coming from a very unhappy heiress.

"I don't see why we had to come in so early! You know we have a test tomorrow, we should be studying!" Weiss was saying, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Weiss, we've been studying all _week_. Everybody wants a break at this point." Ruby said in an exasperated tone, as if she was explaining to a five-year-old that no, you cannot have another cookie.

Choosing to harrumph instead of responding, Weiss shut up for a while and marched in belligerent silence. Ruby was chattering with Yang about something that Blake couldn't make out, so the poor girl was left walking beside the grouchy heiress, who obviously much would rather be back in the dorm room with her nose buried in a pile of notes and a book.

This of course all came to a screeching halt when Blake spotted a fluffy white kitten mewling in an alleyway. It looked like a little puffball with its long white fur poking out everywhere, its tiny little tail waving incessantly. It had wide blue eyes as it mewled at the foursome.

"_Mew?"_

Team RWBY halted in their tracks and stared for a moment in total silence. The peace was quickly broken by Yang yelling out and starting what would soon lead to the highlight of the morning.

"Kitty!" she shouted in delight as she tore off after the kitten, who squeaked in surprise and darted off. "Come back here you little puffball!" she yelled as she began a pursuit of the kitten.

Ruby similarly had taken off after their wayward sister, with Blake standing there holding her arm out with her mouth slightly open as if she was going to say something. With a sigh, she shook her head and darted off after her friends, a smile on her face.

"Hey! Guys! Guys? What are you…oh for the love of Dust." Weiss said, hanging her head as she realized what conspired in about 30 seconds of chaos. With a torn look on her face, she thought hard for a few seconds, then sighed. "I guess it _is_ kind of cute," she said as she calmly walked off in the general direction her teammates had torn off in.

…

Yang was in hot pursuit of the little white fluffball, who was far more quick and agile than expected. Multiple times she thought she had the little thing cornered only for it to dash between her legs, up a wall, or over what Yang thought was an impossible jump for such tiny legs.

She was, however, quite determined. Nothing outwitted Yang Xiao Long. Especially not a tiny kitten.

Blake trailed not far behind Yang, catching a faint fear-scent of the poor little cat. The Faunus was on a rescue mission, in an attempt to rescue the poor innocent kitten from the clutches of Yangzilla. She eventually broke off from trailing her partner and took a different path, attempting to cut off the kittens eventual escape route.

She eventually met up with Weiss, who was casually strolling down the alleyways taking careful measures to not step in anything unpleasant. It was quite difficult, hence her slow pace.

"Weiss?" Blake asked as she spotted the heiress balancing on one foot, trying to take a long step over a puddle.

"Ack!" Weiss yelled out as she slipped and landed with a splash in the dirty puddle. She growled and hauled herself up, her skirt sopping wet. Marching over to Blake, she placed a finger on her nose and snarled in her face. "Don't _scare_ me like that! My skirt is ruined now!"

Blake was finding it hard not to laugh. Getting scolded by Weiss over simplistic things was something she found oddly endearing, although she knew it drove Ruby and Yang batty. "I _sincerely_ apologize, mistress. I will be more careful next time." Blake said dryly, grinning.

Weiss huffed and nodded, grabbing Blake's hand and dragging her off. "Now let's go find that damn cat so we can go home."

…

Ruby was totally, hopelessly, completely lost.

"Why do all the alleyways have to look the _saaame…_" she whined as she looked around fruitlessly, trying to get her bearings. Yanking out her scroll, she frowned as she scanned it. Just her luck of course, to get caught in a blind spot. "Son of a Deathstalker," she muttered as she pocketed the scroll and looked around, trying to figure out how to go about backtracking.

"_Mew"_

All thoughts of backtracking fled Ruby's mind as the pitiful mewl of the kitten was heard coming from the pathway down to her left. She perked up immediately and darted in the general direction she heard it coming from.

"_Mew!"_

"I'm coming kitty!" Ruby cried out as she dashed towards the sound.

She came upon a t-juncture where two other alleys met at a point. In the centre sat a little white ball of floof, and Ruby grinned in triumph as she slowly approached.

…

Yang had lost her joy in participating in the Kitten Hunt, as the little bastard had now escaped her clutches about 25 times or so, and she was now merely participating out of sheer stubbornness.

She was trudging along with a scowl on her face when she heard a mewl. She instantly looked up and a sinister grin formed on her face. She ran off and eventually came to a spot where her alley met up with two others, and she saw Ruby sneaking up on the kitten that was innocently sitting on the convergence point.

Yang began running, which alerted her sister who also began running towards the kitten, who mewled in confusion as it tried to figure out what was happening.

…

Blake and Weiss were calmly walking down an alleyway when they saw their target panicking at the other end, as two familiar looking shadows descended upon it. Blake looked at Weiss who just sighed and shook her head.

Darting forward, Blake reached her hands out to scoop the kitten away from certain doom, but it dashed away at the last second and Blake hit the ground, and crumpled to a heap.

A loud crash was heard, followed by various grunts and yells as Ruby, Yang, and Blake all collided together in a hodge-podge of limbs. As apologies, concerns, and other such things were exchanged, the kitten picked itself up a few feet away from them and licked itself a few times.

The threesome turned their heads towards the kitten, who calmly approached Weiss and started rubbing up against her leg, purring.

"How come _you_ get the kitty?" Ruby whined, pouting. "Grouchy people shouldn't get kitties."

Weiss wasn't quite sure what to do. What did you do with a kitten anyway? Were you supposed to pet it? Weiss hesitantly reached her hand down and rubbed the top of the kittens head, causing its purring to intensify.

"Awwww…." she cooed as she gently scooped the kitten up her her arms, holding it close to her chest. The kitten stretched up and headbutted her jaw, purring loud. "I think I'm going to name him Snowball."

Ruby's pout had evaporated as she picked herself up and darted over to Weiss's side, stroking the kittens head with her fingertip and cooing. Blake quickly followed suit, grinning at Weiss.

"Well this was certainly an eventful morning." she observed as she scratched behind Snowball's ears.

"I wonder what Zwei is going to think of this." Yang laughed as she stood up and groaned, holding her shoulder. "Oof. I landed funny."

Weiss grimaced as she shifted and felt the unpleasant sensation of her cold, wet skirt on her skin. "Can we head back so I can change?"

Blake sighed and looked at the two sisters, who nodded. "I suppose we can't exactly go to eat like this." she said, and with one last scratch behind Snowball's ears she started walking back. "Let's head home."

…

That very same cat was at this moment curled up next to Zwei, who had become fast friends with the little furball. A soft smile appeared on Blake's face as she recalled this memory, and her shoulders relaxed and her eyes drifted shut.

The enticing lull of a soft Dreamland beckoned her, but she knew that poison lay in those honeyed words and feelings. She jerked her eyes open and stared at the shadows dancing across the room, letting them show her what they will and soothe her mind until the dawn breaks.

And so she remained, lost in thought and wonder as she pondered on the nightmares once more. No detail jumped to the forefront of her mind, yet it prowled at the edges of her subconscious, like a black panther in a dark forest.

No detail, that is, but one. A scream. All the nightmares ended the same way, with a terrifying scream that chilled Blake to her core, sending a crawl down her neck and forming a pit in her stomach. Whose scream, she could not tell, although it was not hers.

That one she heard every morning as she awoke from the terrible dream.

Letting out a sigh, Blake absently stroked her delicate fingers along the seams of her blanket, observing the pattern, the colors, and the images they formed in her mind. Anything to distract her from the grim darkness of her nightmares, the black beast of her mind.

And so she remained, until the first rays of light cracked through the window, illuminating dark circles under her eyes and a gaunt look setting in on her cheeks. She made no movement, no sound, no action as she heard her scroll buzz.

When the noise became irritating, her arm slowly reached out and slid it towards her from its position on her bed, and she stared at the harsh light of the screen with glass eyes.

_I wish to have a word with you, Miss Belladonna_.

The message was from Ozpin. Blake sighed and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, taking care to not jostle it.

_I better go see what this is all about._ She thought, as she landed gently on the ground.


	2. Memories

Dreams are a curious thing. You don't need to be asleep to experience them. A dream is merely something your mind does to keep you occupied when it isn't doing much else. When you're sleeping, your mind is unoccupied with the daily rigors of moving, thinking, eating, drinking, and other such things. So while it is still doing the usual things, like keeping your heart beating and your lungs breathing, it occupies the unused part of the brain with a dream.

But you don't need to be asleep for your mind to be unoccupied. If, for example, you are sitting in an incredibly boring environment doing nothing of importance, like sitting in a classroom listening to a boring teacher, your brain isn't doing much. So your mind will wander and enter a dreamlike state. You will zone off into nothingness and your vision becomes that of a daydream.

Blake experienced this feeling while she walked down the barely-lit hallways of Beacon Academy, the quiet nature of the early morning leaving the halls empty and silent. However, instead of the shadows of the night showing her a dance, the very fabric of reality itself seemed to bend as her legs moved her towards her destination. It was as if half of her was in another place altogether.

And in a way, it was. While her conscious body moved along its merry way towards the office of Headmaster Ozpin, her subconscious was showing her something. Another memory, about three weeks prior to the other one. Yet while her other memory was seemingly random and plucked out of nothingness, this memory melded with others as they darted in and out of focus.

They all had one common factor.

One common person.

Weiss Schnee.

Part of Blake's mind was pondering as to _why_ out of anything, Weiss Schnee was the thing dominating her thoughts at this time. Yet she was, and the rest of her mind was enraptured in the show that it was seeing.

…

For once, Weiss woke up after the others, and didn't wake up a total grouch. Blake attributed this to the fact that she had actually gotten a good night's sleep for once, instead of staying up to an ungodly hour studying.

On the downside, this meant that someone had to wake her up. Which meant that, even though she might not wake up a _total_ grouch, she'd still be, well, Weiss.

Through a game of rock-paper-scissors, this unfortunate duty fell to Blake Belladonna, who was currently standing over her sleeping teammate as Ruby and Yang hid off in the hallway.

She took a deep breath, and started gently shaking Weiss. "Weiss? Weiss, get up. We're waiting on you!"

"Uhhhnnn…." groaned Weiss as she rolled over and pulled the covers up to her chin. Blake sighed and pulled the covers off, wrestling them out of the heiresses' grip.

"Weiss! Come on, wake up!" she said in an exasperated tone as she once more shook the girls shoulders.

Slowly pulling herself up into a sitting position, Weiss stretched, yawned, and rubbed her eyes. She sat there for a moment staring blankly, then blinked a few times and registered what was in front of her.

"B-blake!? Why are you waking me up?!" she yelled, scooting back a little.

"Because we're all awake and waiting for you?" Blake said, smiling slightly.

Weiss opened her mouth to respond, then closed it and huffed. "Fine! I'll just go get ready then!" she said as she hopped out of bed and marched towards the bathroom in a huff, hastily grabbing at some clothes.

…

A soft smile touched Blake's face as this memory played in front of her mind's eye as she recalled Weiss's amusingly flushed face. The distance to her destination was growing shorter, yet she made no change in her pace as she ran through that memory once more, going over the intricate subtleties of it all.

The way the strap of Weiss's nightgown would slide off her shoulder as she tossed in her sleep.

The way her hair remained inexplicably straight throughout the whole thing, with a few stray hairs always floating out of place.

Blake paused, and her feet stopped moving. She straightened up and put a finger on her lips, thinking. When had she started noticing these things? She never noticed them before.

Did she?

Had she always noticed them?

Or was she merely replaying the memory and finding things that had gone unnoticed before? And if so, why now? Running her fingers through her hair, she licked her lips and ran through the memory once more. She remembered how Weiss's cheeks had tinted pink when she had seen it was Blake who had woken her up.

Another memory began dominating the forefront of her mind as her legs started moving once more, heading towards Ozpins office. This memory was more recent, only a week ago. Precisely two days after she had turned to willful insomnia to stop the nightmares.

…

Blake pulled herself up, rubbing her eyes. Her second night of sleeplessness had taken its toll on her, as she felt numb and half-asleep.

"…"

Did someone say something? Blake looked around in a daze and saw Weiss staring expectantly at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Sorry….did you say something…?" Blake asked, yawning.

Huffing, Weiss crossed her arms. "I _said_ the showers are available now if you want. I'd hurry and go before Yang wakes up, you know how long she takes."

"Oh. Okay." Blake said, sliding out of bed. However, she stumbled and hit the ground funny, causing her to fall to the side and collide into Weiss. "W-whoa!"

Stumbling backwards, Weiss caught her before they both tumbled to the ground. Hauling her to her feet, she looked up at Blake's face and stared.

"Are you alright?" she asked, suspicion glinting in her eyes.

Blinking, Blake nodded slowly. "I'm…fine. Gonna go shower now."

"Hmm…" Weiss said, backing off. "Alright then."

Blake walked off towards the showers, although she definitely couldn't shake the feeling that Weiss didn't exactly believe her.

…

Blake found herself outside the door to Ozpins office as the memory faded back into the shadows, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. But not before those little details once more jumped out at her, those things she missed before.

Weiss's squeak of surprise when Blake collided with her.

The feeling of Weiss catching her in her arms.

The gentle red tint on her cheeks as she stared at her face.

Blake absently reached up and stroked her hair back behind her ear, feeling her cheeks grow hot. What was going on with her? What were these memories, these shadows trying to tell her?

A call from behind the door interrupted her thoughts as she jumped in surprise.

"I know you're out there Ms. Belladonna."

Hesitantly, she reached out and opened the door, and it slid across the carpeted floor with a hiss. Stepping into the office, she squinted as the large windows let in the harsh rays of the morning sun. Ozpin was sitting in his chair looking down at his desk, scanning a few sheets of paper as he leaned his head against tented fingers. He motioned for Blake to sit across from him.

She walked over and sat down, saying nothing. After a few minutes of silence, however, she spoke up.

"Why did you send for me now?"

"Because I knew you would be awake to see it."

Blake blinked and leaned back, waiting for him to continue speaking. After another few minutes, Ozpin shifted the papers on his desk aside and turned his attention to Blake, staring at her through his glasses.

"You've been having nightmares." It wasn't a question. Just a statement of fact. "Can I ask why you have elected to not seek out help?"

Her features stony, Blake remained silent, her mouth a tight line across her face. Ozpin sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Ms. Belladonna, not much goes on in this school without me knowing. Most of the time, I let students sort these things out on their own. However, this is another matter altogether. Your grades are dropping, and as you very well know, lack of sleep is going to have a _very_ large impact on your combat training."

Blake said nothing as he spoke, averting her eyes and staring blankly out the window. Ozpin waited for a response and, when he saw that none was forthcoming, he stood up and walked over to the window.

"I'm not going to force you to get help, Ms. Belladonna. However, if your grades continue to slip and your venture into willful insomnia continues, I will personally make sure to intervene. Because, as you well know, the end-of-year assessment is fast approaching, on which your team will be sent out on a mission. A mission that is vital for your moving on to the next year."

Blake nodded.

"If your lack of sleep impairs your ability to function on a mission, you are not only putting yourself in jeopardy, but your teammates as well. They cannot be expected to babysit you if you cannot defend yourself due to circumstances _you_ forced upon yourself."

Turning around, Ozpin walked over to Blake and put a hand on her shoulder. "Once more, I'm not going to force you to do anything. But actions, and inactions, have consequences. I just need you to understand that."

Blake nodded once more, and stood up. "May I leave now?" Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes unfocused. Ozpin sighed and waved her away. As she was about to leave, he called out to her.

"One more thing, Ms. Belladonna."

She turned and looked at him, and he was once more staring out the window.

"Talk to your friends. They are concerned for you. Especially Ms. Schnee."

Blake stood still for a moment, and then nodded quickly and left.

…

The trek back to her dorm was uneventful, as she weaved in and out of the thronging crowds of students attending early classes. When she arrived back, she found her teammates all awake, with looks of concern etched onto their faces.

"Blake! You're okay! Where were you? What happened?" Ruby cried out as she crashed into Blake, hugging her. Absently hugging her back, Blake looked around.

"I went for a walk." She stated, trying to smile at her leader.

"Next time leave us a note, eh? We were worried!" Yang said, grinning as she slapped Blake on the shoulder. "Now, I've gotta shower."

Ruby gasped. "Oh! I have to go meet up with Jaune and Pyrrha! She wants my help in his training today!"

Releasing Blake from her hug, Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and darted out the door, leaving Blake and Weiss alone in the room together. Blake sat down at the edge of Yangs bed, rubbing her eyes. She jumped slightly when she felt a slight weight change at her side, and looked to see that Weiss had sat down next to her.

Blinking, Blake just stared for a few moments at the heiress, waiting for her to speak.

"I was worried too." Weiss muttered. Blake didn't respond, her sleep-deprived mind was whirling with too many thoughts to keep track of.

_She was worried? Why? She smells nice. Did Yang leave? She's staring at me. Should I say something? Did I already say something? Can she tell I still haven't been sleeping? She's looking at my eyes. She can see the circles. Are my eyes bloodshot? They're probably bloodshot. She smells like coconut. I like that smell. It must be her shampoo. She's still staring. I should probably say something. Say words. Words. Any words._

"Um…"

Weiss sighed and stood up, stretching. "I'm going for a walk. You should get some rest, Blake. You look tired."

Blake nodded absently and opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, nodding once more. Weiss walked off, swinging her ponytail so it was behind her shoulder. Letting out a huge sigh, Blake collapsed back onto Yangs bed.

_What on Remnant is wrong with me?_

…

The rest of the day was an uneventful blur. Classes were attended, meals were eaten, friends placated as they commented as to Blakes appearance. She longed for the comfort of the darkness, waiting for nightfall so the shadows could entertain her once more with their dances of her memory.

She flopped back onto her bed as she heard her teammates exchanging goodnights to each other, grunting a 'good night' whenever her name was mentioned.

Staring at the ceiling, she became acutely aware that someone had their eyes trained on her. She looked to the side and saw Weiss staring at her as she lay back on her own bed, the covers pulled up to her chin. Blake blinked and arched an eyebrow, and smiled gently as Weiss blushed furiously and rolled the other way.

Her expression quickly turned to puzzlement as she tried to figure out once more when she had started noticing these things about her teammate. The shadows acquiesced and once more began their dance, swirling into a form she recognized. Another memory, from another time.

…

"What are you _doing?_" came a harsh voice from across the room as Blake flipped through the pages of one of her many books.

"Reading?" she responded coolly, not taking her eyes off the pages.

"We have a test tomorrow! You should be studying!" Weiss yelled as she marched over, snatching the book from Blakes hands.

"Hey!" Blake cried out. _I was just getting to the good part too!_

"I refuse to be dragged down by someone who doesn't take her studies seriously!" Weiss huffed, crossing her arms.

"I do too take them seriously! I studied _for four hours _earlier, and all day yesterday! I think I deserve a break!" Blake said, reaching for her book.

"You can have a break when you can tell me in detail the most effective tactic to eliminating a Boarbatusk." Weiss said smugly, holding the book out of Blakes reach.

Fuming, Blake stood up, her fists clenched. "Give me the damn book, Schnee." She said harshly, grabbing Weiss's arm and twisting it towards her, yanking the book out of her hand. Weiss cried out as she felt her shoulder twist, and she fell back a few steps and gripped her shoulder.

"That hurt!" she cried out, her eyes growing slightly watery.

"Well, you deserved it." Blake muttered, sitting back down and closing her book. She wasn't in the mood to read anymore. Weiss clenched her jaw and turned the other direction, marching off. Blake growled and punched the wall, wincing at the pain in her knuckles. Weiss could just be so _insufferable_ sometimes, acting like she was the boss of everyone.

Ruby walked in a few moments later, staring at Blake like she was a bomb, liable to go off at any second. "Blake…you wanna talk about something…?"

"No."

"…well, um, Weiss is just a little upset, I mean, she just wants you to do well on the test tomorrow and-"

"I don't care what that bitch thinks! If she'd stop acting all high-and-mighty about everything, then maybe I would actually give a rat's ass, but as of now, she can shove it!" Blake said, her voice harsh. Ruby grimaced and stepped back, holding her hands up in a placating manner.

"Alright, alright. Sorry I asked…"

…

Blake sighed as the memory faded out of focus. She viewed the days before her and Weiss had talked out a lot of their issues as one of her biggest regrets at Beacon. They both had acted more like enemies than teammates, and in a way they had been.

Weiss had…infuriated her. Known how to push all her buttons. Although in hindsight, she had been a little oversensitive about a lot of things, without really considering her feelings about…anything, really.

What had changed?

Well, for starters, her and Weiss began to understand each other. They understood their emotions, their anger, and their harshness. And once they understood, it became very hard to say those things in good conscience.

And once they understood each other, they grew closer. Maybe not as close as Ruby and Yang were, but certainly closer than they had been before. If anything else, Blake knew she could trust Weiss with her life.

But that didn't answer her question. The shadows had shown her something, but not the something she wanted. She concentrated once more on the memory, seeing if she could pick out any of the hidden details that the other memories held.

Only one was clear. The tears in Weiss's eyes as Blake twisted her arm to retrieve her book. Blake winced at the sight. She felt like she had been stabbed in the chest. But what was causing this? She had to go deeper.

Had she ever felt like this before?

A shudder came over her as a darkness swept through her mind, blood and fear filling her mind's eye to the brim. She remembered a voice. A voice that was burned into her mind.

A face. The same face that she now knew haunted her very nightmares.

A name. A name that she would never forget. Never forgive. A name that was etched into her being and imprinted onto her soul.

Adam.

**Author's Note**

**A lot of strange cuteness mixed in with a little bit of creepy and foreboding at the end makes a good addition to a darker romance story, I think. **

**Not much to say here, except the usual 'I don't own RWBY' stuff. Also, this fanfic is not going to follow the main shows events. Some exist, some don't. But this isn't going to focus too much on the main events so much as Blake's little journey through her mind that we're seeing here. **


End file.
